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I have been out of ideas as far as what to write about on here.  Today marks two months since our blissful wedding day.  I walked into the kitchen this morning to find a new pair of Toms sitting on the table with a cute note attached.  He's so sweet.  With my new job I get to be more casual in my attire and these will be perfect for fall and winter months.  Way to go Chris!

This week has really been my first week to dive into my new work scene.  I am at the half way point in regards to number of clients, but am thankful for how quickly things have moved along.  Yesterday I had my first "full day" with five clients.  I went along with a coworker to the clients I will be taking over for her next week (she's having a baby).  So, my day looked pretty much like this:

8:30-10:30ish: Supervision
10:30-12:00: Went home and folded laundry, did dishes, talked to my sister, set out dinner stuff, and did some paperwork.
12:00-5:00: Client time


I was home by 5:30, had a conversation with Amy while making waffles for dinner, and the rest of the evening Chris and I watched TV and went for a jog.  


The hours are still foreign to me.  With school starting up I will be working more into the evening (my goal is to be done with clients by 6:30 with maybe one later night a week).  Chris has been sweet to continually say he will step up and cook more dinner time meals.  I am working on forcing myself out of bed by 7 in the morning just so I can do housework and any leftover paperwork prior to my day beginning.  But, overall, things are going pretty smoothly.


Just a little update into our world right now.  Nothing overly humorous or exciting is going on.  No pictures to add really.  I'm alright with that though =) 

Bouquet of Freshly Sharpened Pencils

I think that's it for the wedding stuff for now.  I was going to show off some photo booth pics, but I'm not in the mood to shift through them.  Laziness has over powered me as of late.

It is back to school time and my heart is full of all sorts of sentiments.  While I only taught for five years, by no means a veteran, it is strange to not be up in my classroom frantically trying to get it ready.  As far as the new job goes, I am officially licensed, still waiting for insurance approval, and will hopefully have clients soon (eek).  However, there are a few things I am missing about teaching right now that I thought I would share.

• Writing names on name badges.
• Looking through your class list for the first time.
• Printing out the same page five times due to it not being the right font, a child being added or dropped from your list, or because it didn't fit in the frame correctly.
• Having everything organized (because it won't be for the rest of the year).
• Rewriting your plans for the first week at least three times due to changes or new ideas (ok maybe I don't miss this).
• Getting to leave work for lunch.
• Sonic runs.
• Run ins with Emmett or perhaps a velociraptor. 
• Going through your purchase order and thinking, "Why in the WORLD did I buy this!?"
• Talking sweetly to your computer or printer because they don't want to go back to work either.
• Wearing gym shorts and t-shirts to work (with no make up and a pony as a bonus).
• Conversations with your neighbors that keep you from doing what you really should be doing.
• Staying later than you would EVER stay (without complaining at least) during the school year, simply because you want things to be just so.

I will somewhat miss my pals when school starts officially next week.   I used to think change was the worst stinking thing in the world.  However, sometimes a change will do you good.


Happy school year to so many of my very favorite people!!!  May I never forget how hard you work and always appreciate the teachers I will encounter in my future.  You all really are amazing =)

Reception

Alrighty, I'm back.  For our reception our intent was to be as laid back as you can and allow our guests to enjoy the backyard.  We had a tent set up and decorated, a few tables around the pool, a dance floor, washers, a photo booth, and games for the kids.  I so wish I would have taken more time to enjoy our reception.  Let me rephrase that, I wish I would have allowed myself to venture around more rather than feeling like a chicken with my head cut off.  

My mom did an amazing job at listening to all of my little request and making them possible.  We collected frames for months, followed by days of spray painting.  She kept her eyes out for the prettiest vintage table cloths and my grandma sewed up several herself.  On several of the tables were tins we had picked up from place to place or mason jars borrowed from a sweet friend.  And the kids had a bucket of games to keep them busy.

I think it turned out pretty swell.

Frames were hung all around the tent.

Flip flops were available to guests with barkin dogs.

The pool which we did not jump in.

Wedding party dancing!

Pictures of our family members.

And a sparkler send off.

 

Ceremony

Our ceremony was meant to be very personal and meaningful and Chris and I felt it was just that.  Our uncles performed the ceremony, which meant a lot.  Steve took that time to ask us questions about our parents and what we admired about them.  Jeff took scripture we held near and dear and used it as a charge for our marriage.  

Instead of a unity candle or anything of that nature, a sweet friend (Natalie) had our vows framed and our wedding party signed around them.  They, along with all of the friends and family who surrounded us, are the ones who will say the prayers to lift us up or we pray they will say the words to put us in our place if needed.  Marriages are a lot of work and we need all the help we can get.  

Despite the heat, there was a nice breeze during the ceremony (and some questionable clouds) that made it more bearable.  Our arbor was put together the day before and that was an adventure =)  All of our flowers during the ceremony were picked up that morning at the Farmers Market, I loved it.

I walked down the "isle" to Perfect by Jon McLaughlin and our friends Skyler and Chad performed Sailboats by Brooke Fraser.  We exited the ceremony to ABC by Jackson 5, why?  Because our monogram is ABC!!!  (I bet 99.9% of the people there didn't even pick up on that)

Here are several pictures from the ceremony:

Two of my favorite people in the whole wide world.

My bridesmaids minus my sister.  Their dresses were from AE, I thought it came together quite nicely.

The Dress

I like of think of myself as a pretty decisive individual.  Now, if you ask me a question I genuinely do not have an opinion on, I will respond with an, "I don't care."  This probably annoys the tar out of people.  But, if there is something I really want, you don't have to ask twice.  

For example, I looked for quite a while for houses, but when I found mine an offer was made quickly.  I knew I wanted to marry Chris before I met him.  And the story is no different with my dress. 

My sister was down for a week and we scheduled an appointment at a local boutique, Norman's.  We had always gone to Norman's for our prom dresses, Katie had purchased her wedding dress from there, and so I went in with the mindset that today I would find my dress.  

I will say what I had in mind was not what I got.  I wanted something very 27 Dresses, Tess like.  Spaghetti straps, full skirt, simple.

Since I was having an outdoor wedding, they automatically took me to the destination wedding portion of the store which lent itself to more casual, airy dresses.  Everything the girl pulled out I was indifferent about.  A dress in a plastic bag is limp and doesn't shine much.  My sister took over and started pulling dresses for me.  I think she was sensing the, "good grief, they aren't going to have ANYTHING for me" vibe I was puttin out.

After pulling about five dresses, we started trying them on.  There was one dress that made me look like a mummy, that was a no go.  The next dress was the exact dress I had in mine.  Empire waist, no details, v-neck, spaghetti straps, no train...  It had been what I had envisioned, but I wasn't feeling it.  I liked it, but didn't feel beautimous.  So, slightly discouraged, we pressed on. 

The third dress I tried on was beautiful.  Champagne colored, empire waist, lace everywhere, a small train, comfortable, I was in love.  It was nothing I had in mind, but more than I could have ever dreamed of having.  My sister and mom were instantly in love.  I did try on one more mermaid style dressed, which was pretty, but too formal for what we had in mind.

So, texts were sent to friends asking for their choice between the two.  But, before we could even hear back, I made my decision and never looked back.

My mom made my hair piece out of the wrap that came with my dress and I wore yellow shows.  I have told Chris that even if I have to leave it unzipped, I will put my dress on at each anniversary and take a picture.  I love it so much and hope that some day we have a little girl (or little niece) who can play dress up in it and I won't mind at all if she wants to cut it up and use some of it on her big day.  

Wedding Pics are In!!!

I received our wedding CD from our lovely photographer yesterday which can only mean one thing...  time for some wedding pics!!!  My plan is to do a few blog entries about the details of the wedding before exposing the pictures all over facebook.  So, today I begin with one of my favorite parts of the wedding,

THE CAKE!

I apologize ahead of time for the excessive number of cake pictures, but I love em.

Rather than going with just one cake, I decided to have several.  Why not?  I saw an idea a long time ago on a friend's tumblr (Skyler) and went with it.   Our original intent was to use the toppers from our family members' weddings, however no one seemed to have kept them.  Therefore, we ordered all of our vintage cake toppers off of etsy.  It was always fun to get a package and decide which toppers to use and which to discard.  My sister and I had to convince my mother at one point that the skin tone on a particular topper wouldn't really work for Chris and I...  

The groom's cake of course had an MU theme.  We stuck with plain old white and chocolate cakes, no fillers.  While I love cakes with fillers, I am perfectly happy with butter cream goodness.  We had fruit as well, so that was sufficient for me. 

A few weeks before the wedding, some one had asked if we were going to do the whole cake in the face technique.  I was, of course, all for it.  Chris had warned me that if I went after him, I would get it in return.  So, my technique was to strike quickly and catch him off guard.  I think it worked. 

Our cake topper is all wrapped up and tucked away in my parent's deep freeze for June 18th of next year.  I am already excited to eat it!!

At Odds

Chris and I like to dream a lot.  He refers to his "man lair" several times throughout any given week.  Currently, our house does not encompass enough space for such a desire, however it is on the list for our future home.  My dreams are a little more practical.  Oh say, a dishwasher and garbage disposal to begin with.  If you have either of these amenities in your kitchen, thank your lucky stars.

Lately we have been dreaming of things which are a little more practical and within our reach, although very different.  

For Chris, 

The boy wants an Xbox.  His previous system underwent the "red ring of death" and he has been without for over a year.  He isn't a serious gamer, however he does enjoy his occasional video game.  We still have some Target gift cards I am setting aside for him, we shall see.

For me,

I want a new camera so stinking bad.  I have been looking for over a year now, but can't seem to push myself to save up for one.  Currently most of my pictures are being taken on my phone which just isn't cutting it.  My goal is to have one before we have kids, surely that is realistic!?

So, even though we dream a lot and have a wish list a mile long, we are doing quite well.  Our home is looking pretty cute, our cars are stickin with us, and I had a Starbucks this morning.  I'm pretty content with life right now, pretty darn content.